Machine for lacing shoe-uppers



H. E. ENSLIN. MACHINE FOR LACING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-15,1919- v 1,338,910. Patented May 4, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- H. E. ENSLIN. MACHINE FOR LACING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-15. I919.

1,338,910; I Patented May 4,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- APPLICATION FILED MAR-1511919- Patented May 4, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mes-s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. ENSLIN, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR LAGING SHOE-UPPERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed March 15, 1919. Serial No. 282,897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. EnsLiN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maiden, in the county of Middle'sex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Lacing ShoeUppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make. and use the same.

The invention relates to unachines for lacing shoe uppers of the type which is illustrated in Patent No. 1,030,573, June 25, 1912.

In this machine the action of the loopers in forming the loops held by the spindles puts a severe strain on the cord which increases with the number of spindles, and is liable to cause frequent breakage of the cord, particularly in case it is of inferior quality. To relieve the strain on the cord during the action of the loopers, the present invention contemplates automatically reducing the speed of the machine during the loop forming part of the cycle, thus avoiding the sudden and violent strain on the cord as it is drawn over the cord holding shoulders of the spindles. The reduction in the speed during this part of the cycle also enables the normal speed of the machine to be increased, so that a gain in production may be secured.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as embodied in the machine shown and described in the patent above referred to. In these drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan of the mechanism for automatically changing the speed of the machine during different parts of its cycle of openations; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same, partly in section; and Fig. 4 is a sectional end view looking toward the right in Fig. 2.

The machine shown is provided with a plurality of spindles 2 equal in number to the pairs of eyelets which are to be laced,

a plurality of loopers 4 cooperating with the spindles to form a series of loops in the lacing cord and retain them in position until the shoe upper is placed on the spindles, a reciprocating shuttle or cord feeding needle 6 which feeds the cord into position to he engaged by the spindles and loopers, and thereafter passes a portion of the cord through the loops after the loops have been inserted in the eyelet holes of the upper, cord grippers 8 for holding the ends of the lacing cord, and knotting mechanism 10 for tying said ends, all as fully shown and described in the patent above referred to. The various mechanisms of the machine are operated from cams on a cam shaft 12 which makes one revolution for each complete cycle of operations performed by the machine. The cam shaft is driven from a gear 14, the hub of which is adapted to be connected with the cam shaft through a clutch mechanism which may be similar to that shown and described in Patent No. 7 67 ,844, August 16, 1904, and includes a disk 16 secured to and rotating with the cam shaft. The engagement and disengagement of the clutch is controlled through the stop mechanism indicated at 18, as in the machine of the patent above referred to, so that when the driving mech anism is thrown into operation the cam shaft makes a single revolution and then stops.

The mechanism for automatically reducing the speed of the cam shaft during the action of the loopers in drawing the loops held by the spindles comprises change speed gearing through which the gear 14 is driven, and means for automatically operating the gearing to vary the speed of the cam shaft during different parts of the cycle of operations ofthe machine. This mechanism as shown comprises a pinion 20 engaging thegear 14 and secured upon a sleeve 22 to which a sliding clutch sleeve 24 is keyed. The clutch sleeve carries spring clutch pins 26 arranged to engage sockets in either a high speed gear 28 or a low speed gear 30, and to thus include either one or the other of these gears in the driving train through which motion is transmitted to the gear 14 and cam shaft of the machine. The gears 28 and 30 are driven from gears 32 thrown into operation.

and 34 connected with the driving pulley 36. The clutch 24 is automatically shifted to include either the high or low speed gear in the driving train by a cam 38 formed on the disk 16 and engaging a roll 40 on the inner end 42 of a bar 48, the other end of which is connected to the clutch shifting lever 50. The end 42 of the bar is sustained and guided by a screw 44 passing through a slotted bracket 46.

During the major part of each revolution of the cam shaft the shaft is driven through the high speed gearing, the parts of the change speed mechanism being in the positions indicated in the drawings, and the roll 40 rotating againstthe low part of the cam 38, and the clutch being held in engagement with the high speed gear 28 by the spring 52. After the lacing of an upper has been completed, and the shuttle needle has carried the cord for a new lacing into position to be acted upon by the spindles and loopers, the roll 40 rides up on to the high part of the cam 38 so that the clutch 24 is shifted into engagement with the low speed gear 30, and the speed of the cam shaft and of the machine is reduced, while the loopers 4 act to draw the loops of cord which are held by the spindles in position to pass through the eyelet holes of an upper when the machine comes to rest. As the formation of the loops is completed, and immediately preceding the stopping of the machine, the roll 40 rides off of the high part of the cam 38, and the clutch 24 is reengaged with the high speed gear, so that the cam shaft and machine will be driven at high speed when it is again The speed of the machine during the loop forming part of the cycle is thus reduced, with a resulting reduction in the strain put upon the cord, as above indicated.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described in embodying the invention.

in the machine of the patent above referred to, it will be understood that this construc tion and arrangement is not essential to the broader features of the invention, and may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the construction of the machine in which it is to be embodied.

What is claimed is 1. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, mechanisms for forming a series of loops to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper and for passing a locking cord through the loops, actuating mechanism therefor, and means for automatically reducing the speed of the actuating mechanism during the loop forming part of the lace inserting cycle.

2; A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a series of spindles and loopers for forming a series of loops of lacing cord to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper, a shuttle needle for delivering cord to the spindles and for passing part of the cord through the loops, cord end holding and knotting devices, a cam shaft and connections for actuating said parts, and driving mechanism for driving the shaftduring the loop forming part of the cycle at a slower speed than during the remainder of the cycle.

3. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a series of spindles and loopers for forming a series of loops of lacing cord to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper, means for delivering cord to the spindles and for passing a part of the cord through the loops and for knotting the ends of the cord, actuating mechanism therefor, and means for automatically varying the speed of the actuating mechanism during different parts of the lace inserting cycle.

4. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a series of spindles and loopers for forming a series of loops of lacing cord to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper, a reciprocating shuttle needle, cord end holding and knotting devices, an actuating shaft, speed changing mechanism through which said shaft is driven, and means for automatically operating the speed changingmechanism to change the speed of the shaft during different parts of each revolution.

HERBERT E. ENS-LIN. 

